Decorating Easter Eggs with Rubber Stamps

Hi there! Easter is coming up (March 31st) and I wanted to try an Easter egg decorating technique using some craft materials that I already had on hand.

Let's begin with a few eggs.

Here are cherry blossom-themed stamps. They are cling-on stamps meant to be mounted on acrylic blocks so that you have a better grip when stamping. 

Without the acrylic block, the stamp is more flexible allowing the print to adhere to the rounded edges of the egg.

It's not a perfect print but I think the flaws add a handmade charm.

Now, let's try some alphabet stamps.

Just be aware that it might take two or three tries to print each letter -- just carefully follow the curve of the egg. 

Use them to spell out greetings or names. 

Here is another set of stamps. I used the words to make these Christmas gift tags.

Today, I'd like to use the flourishes.

They're a little tricky to use. Instead of a clean print, shadows or repeats are formed.

But they do add a unique pattern.

Here are my Easter Eggs decorated using rubber stamps and ink pads...TADA!

Use the eggs as table decorations or additions to an Easter basket! And if you need more Easter Egg decorating ideas, you can find them here, here, here, and here. 

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Treasures from the Trash: A Lamp Shade

Hey guys, it's so nice that you're here!

This week is all about finding treasures from the trash. From chairs, shelves, and tables, I've seen them left on the curb, ready for its new owner or to be picked-up by the recycling truck. 

Look what I found this time:

It's a white lamp shade. 

Other than the torn inner lining, this lamp shade looks clean and in great shape. Simply remove the lining and give it some good sanitizing. Pop it on a lamp that you already have to give it a new look. 

Here are other ways to update the lamp shade:

via Pinterest

Take a permanent marker and write on the lamp shade with brush lettering or calligraphy. Write down a favorite poem or compose a love letter.

via Anthropologie

Another idea is to paint on the lamp shade. Use various shades of acrylic paint to make graphic designs in your favorite colors.

via Etsy

Apply a design to the lamp shade using a block printing technique, stamps or stencils.

via Pinterest

Botanical embroidery is another cool idea using a pattern (or draw freehand) and embroidery floss.

via Anthropologie

Why not attach crochet flowers, felt flowers, patches and appliqués to give color and femininity to the lamp shade?

via Life As Mama

Gluing on some pompoms -- ready-made or handmade pompoms work just as well!

via From Britain With Love

Pompoms on the edge of the lamp shade are a sweet touch, too.

 

via Southern Hospitality 

Decoupage on the lamp shade is another neat idea if you are working on a themed room.

via Williams-Sonoma

Painting the lamp shade is an option, too. It can match the lamp base by using a single color or use contrasting colors to turn the lamp into a unique statement piece. 

via Tommaso Guerra

Whether the shade is used on a table lamp, a floor lamp or hung as an overhead light fixture, these updates turn a plain lamp shade from blah to TADA!

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A Sketchbook Practice: Watercolor Warm-Ups

I am delighted by your presence today!

Last month, I showed you a sketchbook exercise wherein we created our own color story.

We started by collecting things from nature.

We then used these hues to develop a color story.

These colors dictated the mood of a painting, which can eventually become patterns for items that we can use or sell commercially (ex. paper goods, fabric, packaging design).  

 

Today, I'll share another idea to turn a blank page from blah to TADA!

I learned this technique from Faith Evans-Sills, a painter, author and teacher. She taught a class at Sketchbook Revival a few years ago called "Watercolor Warm-ups: Gathering Color and Pattern Inspiration."

We'll start with a reference photo or magazine tear sheet (bottom left of the photo) to determine our color story.

Translate this on the blank page using watercolor.

When the paint is dry, add details with pens in different colors to bring in depth and contrast.

Let me show you my version of Faith's technique:

I used the colors from a catalog (right side of page): fruits in shades of green, yellow, and orange.

I added more paint and some pen marks.

What I made reminds me of washi tape. Maybe I can develop my own designs? That would be fun!

I hope you can use this technique when you're feeling a creative block or daunted by the blank page. Faith reminds us: "Inspiration can be found everywhere. It's always simmering in there if we tap into it. Stay open."

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Five Things for March

The month of March is here. It's a month that's a bit bittersweet for me because of birthdays in my family and also death anniversaries. It's both celebration and a reminder of loss that I will mark with appreciation and remembrance. 

This March, I look forward to being surrounded with forsythia flowers, nature's first announcement of spring. Forsythia tell us about the cycle of life. From barren trees to sprouts of yellow that eventually turn into leaves...TADA! 

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? Let's create something this March, maybe something simple like origami or stickers to something more elaborate like embroidery or jewelry. We not only get to tap into our artistic side, we show up with something that we made with our hands...TADA! 

If you are ready to get your craft on, the library is a wonderful resource for craft books. There are so many topics to choose from that range from watercolor, gouache, lettering, calligraphy, more calligraphy, collage, drawing, crochet, portraiture and stamp carving. I would love to learn about wood carving, punch needle crafts, and Shasiko (Japanese quilting) and I'm pretty certain I can find these books at the library...TADA!

Japanese stationery is LOVE. I've been a stationery collector since I was a little girl (I would save my allowance and the pretty paper and envelopes always gave me a thrill). Old habits die hard and I'm not stopping now! The pastel prints and springtime vibes of these ones instantly turn my day from blah to TADA!  

Can I share an organizational tip? I use an elastic hair tie everyday when I put my hair up into a bun. I made a spot inside the bathroom cabinet to hang it. It's just a plastic hook with adhesive backing where I park my hair tie. It's such a simple solution but avoids all the "Where did I put my hair tie?!" drama. A special spot in your drawer or tie it around a comb or hairbrush are other ways to give hair ties a home...TADA! 

I wish you all a meaningful and merry month of March!

Ink Blot Patterns

Hey, hey, it's nice to see you today!

I love learning a new skill, especially in the arts and crafts department. 

One of the blessings of the pandemic were the free on-line classes that one can take no matter your location and time zone. Many of these classes still continue and many of them are still free of charge. Yay!

One class I took was with Faith Hale and Courtney Cerruti. They did a demonstration on how to make ink blot patterns.

Let me show you how:

We will need a nib pen and ink, as well as a stack of scrap paper. Also make sure you line your table with newspaper in case of ink spills, and keep a rag or paper towel handy for any messes.

We'll take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. Unfold the paper and write a word or draw a design along the fold. While the ink is still wet, fold the paper again. 

When you open up the paper, the smooshed ink will produce a unique pattern. Mine looks like an insect, a stylized bee or butterfly, perhaps? 

Take another sheet of paper, fold it in half and write along the fold.

Fold the paper while the ink is still wet, then open the paper to reveal the random pattern you created.

Try it again, this time adding dots and small puddles of ink after writing the word on the fold.

Fold the paper while the ink is wet, then unfold. The extra ink created bigger ink blots, which I think are so dramatic...TADA!

Here is a collection of trial and error ink blots, but you know what, I loved the surprise! With more practice, I can see this turning into a repeating pattern that can find its way on fabric or stationery.

That is how I turned scrap paper from "blah to TADA!"

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A Sketchbook-Practice: Creating a Color Story

How are you doing today?

One of the ways I try to stay creative is through a sketchbook practice -- filling pages of my sketchbook with drawings or paintings of mundane observations. 

This is a plain sketchbook made of watercolor paper. Like many of you, I get intimidated by the blank page but I've learned to get some inspiration from other artists who show their work on social media, through their websites, and even in printed material:

This is an old issue of Uppercase Magazine. I love it because it's "for the creative and the curious" and its pages are abundant with methods of creative expression.

Lilla Rogers is an illustrator-entrepreneur and her studio represents artists and authors worldwide. She writes regularly for Uppercase Magazine and in this article, she suggests making a color story from foraged objects.

This is my collection of foraged items, randomly picked up throughout the year: seashells, a variety of flowers that I put in my flower press, leaves, and a feather.  I like how the colors come together, from the muted grays to the vibrant violet and orange. Now, I've created my very own color story. It will dictate the colors that I'll use on a painting. The limited colors might be a constraint, but many times limitations can make us more creative, don't you think? 

The first thing I do is to swatch the colors based on the items forming my color story. I use  watercolor and colored pencils and I apply these directly on my sketchbook page.

I drew these squares that will serve as frames for mini paintings. Breaking down the page into smaller chunks will make the process less intimidating.

Just blobs, shapes and shading as my first exercise. 

As you can see, I've filled the mini frames with my version of abstract art. It doesn't have to be perfect and nobody needs to see it. It's practice and who knows where the color story and the sketches might lead to? Maybe a repeating pattern for fabric or gift wrapping paper? A t-shirt design or even a brand logo. This is just the beginning.

And that is how I turned a blank page from blah to TADA!

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